The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
The Gravity Field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) mission is dedicated to measuring Earth's gravity field and modelling the geoid with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution. Since the satellite has to be completely stable to ensure the acquisition of true gravity readings, the spacecraft has no mechanical moving parts. In order to receive the optimum gravity signal GOCE flies in a particularly low orbit of just 250 km above the surface of Earth. The slim, octagonal, spacecraft is about 5 m in length and 1 m across – configured to keep aerodynamic drag and torque to an absolute minimum.